1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to needle threaders, and more particularly, to needle threaders that operate manually, but automatically, in that alignment and motion are predefined. Further, the present invention needle threaders are easy to use and provide for threader loop storage on the device itself to mitigate loop damage. The present invention needle threaders are stand alone devices, or are complementary to other functions, e.g., scissors, and are self-contained in a single unit. The present invention devices eliminate needle holding, eliminate loop and thread alignment problems, eliminate loop and needle alignment and loop and needle insertion problems and are extremely simple and efficient to operate.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following patents illustrate the history and state-of-the-art of threading needles:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,241,427 describes a needle threader comprising a magnify glass, a suitable holder for the glass to protect its surface from injury, and a foldable member secured to the holder adapted to present a socket for a needle in a line lying in the focal plane of the magnifying glass.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,278,995 describes the combination of a pair of shears having a pair of handles adapted to be grasped in the hand, of a frame carried upon one of the handles, and of a magnifying lens mounted in said frame. The frame extends at an angle to the plane of the handles of the shears sufficient to aline the longitudinal focal axis of the lens on an object held between the fingers supporting the shears.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,042,403 describes a needle threader comprising a hollow handle having parallel side walls, said walls having longitudinally extending slots therein, a double headed button having the shank portion extending through the slots and slidable therein, a thin gage wire bent upon itself with the portion adjacent the bight being parallel and adjacent each other, the remaining portions of the wire being further spaced apart and parallel, with the free ends thereof secured to the shank portion of the button, the wire and handle being relatively proportioned whereby the wire may be entirely confined in the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,059,680 describes a needle threader comprising a wire loop having a central, relatively open part and a terminal bend, and a plate fastened to and underlying said loop, said plate having a first aperture therein underlying said central part of said loop and having a second aperture therein underlying said bend in said loop.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,411,118 describes a needle threader and of the type known as the wire loop threaders, comprising a suitable handle having a affixed to same a fine spring metal flexible wire loop said loop consisting of a single piece of wire and formed as a polygon providing when permanently attached to the handle a closed loop with a centrally disposed open area; various length members forming laterally two obtuse angles of unequal size but whose apices are not situated directly opposite each other so that entering and again leaving a needle eye that apices will smoothly follow one another and not attempt to pass through the eyes simultaneously, thusly producing a device which will be more efficient in use, being stronger and allowing the use of finer threads in the finer needle eyes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,416,260 describes a device for use in conjunction with a surgical stitching instrument comprising a rod-like member having, at one end, a needle threading element adapted to thread the needle of the instrument and at its opposite end a curved and tapered portion affording a hook having, on its cave side, a notch adapted to engage and draw out from flesh tissue the free end of a limb of a thread-loop passed through said tissue by the needle, and guard means on said member shiftable to a position in which it prevents accidental contact with said needle-threading element and constitutes an extended handle for said loop-engaging portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,476,872 describes a needle threader for use with a needle having an eye near the point and a needle clamp for the other end of the needle, said threader comprising a body member having a horizontal body portion and a vertically extending horn at the forward end thereof, a plunger disposed in a horizontal bore in the horizontal body portion, a vertical needle seat in the horn and the body portion and extending from the upper end of the horn to the forward end of said bore, said body member having a thread seat at the forward end of the bore extending rearwardly of the needle seat and having downwardly flaring thread guides disposed at the lower end of the horn for directing a thread into the thread seat, the upper end of said horn being spaced from the path of the plunger a distance equal to the distance from the clamp to the needle's eye so that contact of the upper end of the horn with the needle clamp automatically positions the seated needle with the eye thereof in the path of said plunger.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,649 describes a needle threader including a magnetic pin which is used to find the eye of the needle and is inserted therein. The threader also includes a hook like member which is of a magnetic material and which is pulled through the eye of the needle by the magnetic pin. Once the threader is pulled through the eye of the needle, a thread is inserted therein, and when the threader is pulled out of the eye, the thread is caught in the eye, and the needle is threaded.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,478 describes an improved needle-threading device disclosed wherein a wire loop, having a smaller loop disposed in the medial portion, is rigidly sandwiched at double hook-shaped end portions between an outer support member and an inner support member. The outer and inner support members are tubular with the inner member fitting within the outer member and engaging the double hook-shaped end portions of the wire loop, thereby holding the wire loop rigidly in place and furnishing a convenient handle with which to hold the needle-threading apparatus during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,409 describes a threader for a mounted sewing machine needle having an eye adjacent the pointed lower end thereof includes a base plate adapted to be received beneath the foot of the machine, and a housing providing a positioning recess for aligning the needle threader with sewing machine needle eye. The housing supports a pair of reciprocable thread pusher members at right angles to one another, and when the device is aligned with the needle eye, the first pusher member is displaceable from a retracted to an extended position to push a strand of thread through the needle eye from one side thereof to the other. When the first pusher member is returned to the retracted position, the second thread pusher member is displaceable from a retracted to an extended position to engage a loop of thread on the other side of the needle eye and to displace the thread laterally of the needle to a position where it can be easily grasped by the user's fingers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,860 describes a sewing needle that has a closed loop of resilient filament secured to its rear end. In unstressed condition the filament has an open configuration allowing a sewing thread to be easily passed through it. As the needle is pulled through fabric the loop collapses under the forces imposed on its sides by the fabric.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,871 describes a needle threader for facilitating the insertion of an end of a thread in the eye of a needle. In one embodiment the threader has a magnifying lens mounted in a holder which is secured to a flexible mount having a ring portion for a person's finger and a wax holder for holding wax to be applied to the end of the thread. In another embodiment such a threader has a colored background contrast member for making it easier to see the thread. This contrast member can be secured to the lens holder or to the flexible mount. In another embodiment a needle threader is provided which has a magnifying lens with a holder and a background contrast member. A background contrast member for a magnifying lens is also provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,463 describes a needle threader for yarn or other bulky materials that is used in needle work having a projecting loop provided with a substantial planar surface to accommodate the strands of the yarn and thereby reducing frictional resistance as the yarn is passed through the eye of the needle. The needle threader is provided with a cutter for the yarn on the same handle utilized by the threader.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.